Have you been losing weight many times? After many months, years full of sacrifices, trying different methods, you finally managed to "lose" the excess pounds? Are you slim but you are not happy about it? Why great weight loss effects can make a disappointment explains Dr. Patrycja Kłósek, clinical dietitian, trainer from the Obesity Treatment Center Paleta Diet.
Slimming- this is the colloquial name of the process of reducing excess body weight, which is a symptom of overweight and obesity. Obesity is, first of all, a disease - complicated, chronic, without a tendency to spontaneously resolve, which leads to other serious diseases. It is a huge risk of, inter alia, heart attack, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
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How do we perceive people with obesity?
- Unfortunately, the cult of the slim figure presented to us in the media means that overweight and obesity are not perceived as a disease, but an aesthetic defect. In fact, this trend is good for society due to the above he alth consequences, but on the other hand, in many overweight or obese patients, it leads to numerous image, emotional and social problems - says Dr. Patrycja Kłósek.
People suffering from obesity often have lowered self-esteem and effectiveness, they feel stigmatized. Many scientific studies have shown that obese people are less likely to leave the house, have problems with socializing and difficulties in establishing male-female relationships. What's more, they also often have problems on a professional basis. They are discriminated against at work, earn less, and fare worse at job interviews. Employers perceive them as frequently absenteeism, lazy and neglected people. Such perception is highly detrimental to them.
"When I finally lose weight …"
When, after many emotional experiences, an obese person decides to start treatment and lose weight, he engages in diet, exercise, etc. and is very successful very often. - This is due to the fact that all of the above-mentioned factors adversely affect her he alth and well-being morethey intensely motivate her to act - says Dr. Patrycja Kłósek.
The experiences of obesity, of being obese, often brutal, tragic, causing withdrawal from many areas of personal and social life make obese patients extremely strongly believe that after losing weight, once they get he althy their body weight will change for the better. They will start to be liked, they will find a permanent partner, they will be more obligatory, they will please each other, they will be attractive, sexy, happy.
- But it often happens that once they reach their goal, when they look at their dream slim figure, or the weight indicator showing the desired value in kilograms, they feel disappointed. Sometimes I hear from patients who have lost 20 or 30 kilograms the words: "I can't see that I look better", "I still look the way I used to look" - says Dr. Patrycja Kłósek. So what is the reason for the profession that we feel after losing weight?
"I lost weight, but no one saw it"
- My patients, during weight reduction, wait for their husband to notice that they have lost weight, for their colleagues at work to approve them. They get bitter when no one around them notices it. Out of jealousy, lack of interest or simply because people are afraid to comment or express their opinion. They don't want to offend the person who has lost weight, so they pretend they don't see it. It happens that they turn away from her, give up acquaintance with her, friendship, relationship because they are afraid that if she has changed physically, her personality and temperament have also changed, everything that they once valued, liked, loved about her - she says Patrycja Kłósek, PhD.
Meanwhile, overweight and obese patients emphasize how much they need the WOW effect! - delighted glances and compliments. It is an expression of appreciation for their struggle, efforts and sacrifices in the fight against the disease.
"I lost weight, but my troubles did not go away"
Seeing the source of all life problems in the disease is a common tendency among obese patients. They think: "I'm fat / fat, that's why nobody invites me to parties, talks to me, I don't get along with my partner, my marriage is falling apart, my children don't respect me, but as soon as I get thin, all my troubles will disappear."
- Negative experiences related to obesity can, of course, cause many changes in personality, affect relations with the environment, and create problems in everyday functioning. But let's admit to ourselves that disease and how others perceive it are not the source of all our everyday troubles and failures. You can't blame everything on the disease. It may be our faultpersonality, external conditions, etc., which have nothing to do with the thickness of adipose tissue - says Dr. Patrycja Kłósek.
"I lost weight but my body doesn't look nice"
Obese patients often focus on the process of losing weight, and forget to take care of the skin, which stretches due to the growth of adipose tissue, and forms stretch marks and cellulite. On the arms, abdomen, thighs and buttocks, the so-called skin overhangs. And the more advanced obesity is, the bigger they are, the more they make hygiene, intimate life and everyday functioning more difficult.
Read also:Obesity and skin - dermatological problems of obese people It happens that obese patients, during or after weight loss, are disappointed with the new appearance of their body. After all, they dreamed of wearing a short skirt, a sleeveless blouse, and a dress with a neckline after losing weight. That the more pounds they lose, the firmer their skin will be. Exactly - they dreamed. Nobody told them, or they forgot that the skin does not have magical properties and does not shrink like in photos retouched in graphics programs. Removal of its excess often requires the intervention of a plastic surgeon.
Stretching the skin under the influence of fatty tissue is something natural. Unfortunately, this cannot be avoided. - But the excess skin that appears after weight loss must not discourage the treatment of overweight and obesity alone. Thanks to weight reduction, we regain he alth. The body is more efficient, more efficient, and the diseases that are complications of obesity either go away or are milder. This is the greatest value. The skin that remains after weight loss is proof of persistence. When starting treatment, you need to be aware that such a side effect may appear and take steps to remedy it in advance - says Dr. Patrycja Kłósek.
You must do itIn order not to feel disappointment after losing weight, during therapy:- remember that you are not treating yourself for other people and their admiration, but for yourself and your he alth; - talk honestly with your loved ones about your weight loss and ask them to support you with kind words; - remember, your skin after weight loss may never be perfect - move, exercise, use cosmetic preparations to help it shrink, but also be aware that you will need surgical assistance to make your body look like it did then before the disease; - look at yourself with admiration, be proud of yourself and reward yourself for even the smallest weight loss effects - no one will appreciate you more than you, because no one knows better than you how difficultis your fight against overweight and obesity.
ImportantPoradnikzdrowie.pl supports safe treatment and a dignified life of people suffering from obesity. This article does not contain discriminatory and stigmatizing content of people suffering from obesity.
About the author
Magdalena Gajda A specialist in obesity disease and obesity discrimination of people with diseases. President of the OD-WAGA Foundation of People with Obesity, Social Ombudsman for the Rights of People with Obesity in Poland and a representative of Poland in the European Coalition for People Living with Obesity. By profession - a journalist specializing in he alth issues, as well as a PR, social communication, storytelling and CSR specialist. Privately - obesity since childhood, after bariatric surgery in 2010. Starting weight - 136 kg, current weight - 78 kg.